Hey, Bob Visotcky: WHY bother???????

[radiojomo]

“We’re not moving out of Thousand Oaks. We’re still going to have an office there,” Visotcky said. “Thousand Oaks has been really good to us, but Orange County is a brand new deal. I think it was important to come down here and show Orange County that we want to be just as big a part of their community as we are in Thousand Oaks.”

Though the station has used automated programming for several years, Visotcky said disc jockeys will be hired after the move to give Jill FM a “live and local” presence. It will offer advertising to retailers in the three smaller markets at lower prices than regional advertisers have to pay.
Will moving their offices really in any way affect their ratings? Plus introducing DJs to a station that hardly makes any money and has the poorest ratings in the entire LA area will HELP the station out? Sounds to me like a shot in the foot with more expenses!

 

[romer979fm]

Will moving their offices really in any way affect their ratings? Plus introducing DJs to a station that hardly makes any money and has the poorest ratings in the entire LA area will HELP the station out? Sounds to me like a shot in the foot with more expenses!

geez 'jomo...what should they do, then? you complain about VTing...now adding live talent is also wrong.
you're jumping on them like you do KSWD on other posts...it's very easy to criticize via a username.

that being said, 92.7 may have wasted too much time running on the cheap to recover...but shouldn't they
at least make an attempt at changing things? adding an OC presence...where the bodies (and best signal) are...seems logical to me

 

[SuperRadioFan]

I've been saying that they need to promote their OC presence for years now. Again the question is why narrow the focus to a 15 year age range of women? When there are other obvious holes in SoCal radio not being served. Remember as I've stated, it's a niche signal and that deserves a niche format.

As far as improving their ratings because they are now going to consider themselves an Orange County radio station, good luck with that!! So the 0.1 might get to a 0.2 -- big WOOOP!! Adding DJs, as radiojomo mentioned, adds to an expense that will be hard to justify.

 

[OC Radio Geek]

I've been saying that they need to promote their OC presence for years now. Again the question is why narrow the focus to a 15 year age range of women? When there are other obvious holes in SoCal radio not being served. Remember as I've stated, it's a niche signal and that deserves a niche format.

As far as improving their ratings because they are now going to consider themselves an Orange County radio station, good luck with that!! So the 0.1 might get to a 0.2 -- big WOOOP!! Adding DJs, as radiojomo mentioned, adds to an expense that will be hard to justify.

I think they are finished......

 

[OCradiodude]

I've been saying that they need to promote their OC presence for years now. Again the question is why narrow the focus to a 15 year age range of women? When there are other obvious holes in SoCal radio not being served. Remember as I've stated, it's a niche signal and that deserves a niche format.

I concur. You've said that for years! There's finally listening, but is it too late?

 

[socalguy]

Hey Visotcky...what's with the new logo for the "all new Jill FM"? Seriously, I'm a guy so not an expert... but seriously...does any woman 37 years old (your "bullseye") in the OC dot her "I's" with a heart anymore...? Was this designed in Fort Lauderdale by Joe's secretary? Come on BV...this is your best last shot?

 

[radiojomo]

I can't see why Jill FM has the low ratings it is receiving. I'm sure if they replaced their "adult hits" format with another successful format, they could be grabbing 3 times as many ratings! What ever Bob is doing to Jill isn't going to fix much.

To romer979fm, I never said that voicetracking was a bad thing. When did I say that voicetracking was bad? Please show me a post where I said that. Voicetracking ISN'T bad at all! It's what every station's doing to save money! DJs are a thing of the past in the iPod generation. That's what I've said in my past posts about DJs. And everyone knows KSWD is a disaster! Why is it wrong for me to say that it is???

And like SuperRadioFan said, adding DJs will make things worse. They don't need DJs, they need to work on the format.

I get KJLL clearer than any other Class A station in the OC and LA and even SD. People in LA CAN hear Jill better than most Class A's. I can hear Jill better than KDAY and KDLD in the heart of LA. People treat Jill as if it was some LP station!

Why not work on bringing a format that people actually want to listen to and brings in more money? LA already has 2 hard to beat ACs owned by Clear Channel. What Bob wants to do is drag into Jill being more of an AC like it was back in the Lite FM days. But really, if you were to compare Jill with KBIG and KOST, who would win? Bob in the interview with the Ventura County Star said this: "In ratings released last week, Jill FM was ranked 59th of 64 stations in the Los Angeles metro area, but Visotcky said he is confident the move will bring improvement. Women 30 to 45 are Jill FM’s target audience, Visotcky said, but 37-year-old females are its “bull’s-eye.”
37 Year Old Females as a Bull's Eye???
Isn't that the same Bull's Eye for KBIG and KOST?
And Jill will have more expenses by adding DJs?
Bob is just shooting Jill in the foot.

 

[davideduardo]

I can't see why Jill FM has the low ratings it is receiving. I'm sure if they replaced their "adult hits" format with another successful format, they could be grabbing 3 times as many ratings! What ever Bob is doing to Jill isn't going to fix much.

KJLL puts a 64 dbu signal over only about 12% of the LA MSA, and the Thousand Oaks facility adds another cpouple of percent in the market (most is in Ventura, another market). It's been proven by analysis of the ZIP codes of diary survey at home and at work that 95% of listening takes place inside that contour. Since those two locations account for nearly 70% of listening, this explains why KJLL can not get much, ratings-wise, no matter how good a signal it has.

Translated to the coverage area, KJLL has a 1.8 in the coverage area of the station. That's not bad for a small station in the competitive environt of LA with over 90 stations licensed to the market.

DJs are a thing of the past in the iPod generation. That's what I've said in my past posts about DJs.

What makes radio different from an iPod is the talent and content. But for some ages and certain formats, the role of the jock is different... but not necessarily unneeded.

In any case, a voice tracked DJ is still a DJ, so defending voice tracking is defending jocks... so the statment is contradictory.

And like SuperRadioFan said, adding DJs will make things worse. They don't need DJs, they need to work on the format.

If the target is 30 to 45 year old women, joscks are quite a part of a format, The issue is whether they can get good ones, and the right ones.

I get KJLL clearer than any other Class A station in the OC and LA and even SD. People in LA CAN hear Jill better than most Class A's. I can hear Jill better than KDAY and KDLD in the heart of LA. People treat Jill as if it was some LP station!

It's a class A that only puts a usable signal over about 12% of the market. It can't do much better than it now does.

What Bob wants to do is drag into Jill being more of an AC like it was back in the Lite FM days. But really, if you were to compare Jill with KBIG and KOST, who would win?

Bobv does not have to "win." He just has to offer an AC, with the right demos, that serves the Orange County retail market... which can't afford KBIG or The Coast. If he does that, he will have a decent direct selling situation, which is actually desirable in this economic recession.

It may turn out to be a very smart move... a desirable market that can't afford the big LA stations, and if he gets results for the customers, he will do well.

 

[radiojomo]

How could three signals only cover 12% of the market? KJLL obviously covers more than just 12% of the market. I can hear it down in San Diego throughout all of O.C., then I can hear it weaker through LA but comes in clear in the Thousand Oaks area. That has to be more than 12%. Jill CAN do better than it is already. If you're saying that Jill can't do any better than it is currently, then why is Jill wasting their time and money by adding DJs and renting out bus ad space? People in the O.C. and Thousand Oaks don't even know there's such a thing as Jill FM.

 

[Shoot From Hip]

Go to www.radio-locator.com and check out the coverage areas for each station. Look at the area outlined in red. That's what is getting solid coverage.

 

[OHIODEAL]

Could he also bring some syndicated shows on the system as well?What do you all think?

 

[davideduardo]

Go to www.radio-locator.com and check out the coverage areas for each station. Look at the area outlined in red. That's what is getting solid coverage.

Actually, the red contour is larger than the area where 95% of home and work listening takes place by about 20%.

The useful coverage is actually less than the red contour.

 

[davideduardo]

How could three signals only cover 12% of the market? KJLL obviously covers more than just 12% of the market.

I should have clarified... KJLL covers 12% of the population of the market with a usable signal for in-home and at work listening.

I can hear it down in San Diego throughout all of O.C., then I can hear it weaker through LA but comes in clear in the Thousand Oaks area.

Hearing it as a person interested in radio, likely on a car radio, is not typical. The average home or work type radio can not use a signal of much less than 64 dbu. Whether you can "hear" the station in a car further away, for the 70% of listening that takes place at home and at work, the station has very little coverage.

This data has been proven by analysis of what ammounts to millions of Arbitron diaries over a decade in hundreds of markets.

The Thousand Oaks area has only a small population in the LA metro, as most of the coverage of that signal is in Ventura County, a separate market.

That has to be more than 12%. Jill CAN do better than it is already. If you're saying that Jill can't do any better than it is currently, then why is Jill wasting their time and money by adding DJs and renting out bus ad space? People in the O.C. and Thousand Oaks don't even know there's such a thing as Jill FM.

I am saying it can do better in the area it covers in the OC. And by doing so, it can have a unique position of serving the local retail and service businesses, which can not afford to use full-market radio. It´s a good idea in the current economy, if it can be done.

 

[Shoot From Hip]

However, in order to achieve maximum ratings, the owners must simulcast (in this case, trimulcast) 100% of the time. Which means an ad sold for a small retailer in Orange County or Ventura County will air on all three signals. Is a spot for a jewely store in Fountain Valley going to convince someone in Camarillo to dive 100 miles? Or a spot for a Thousand Oaks car dealer...even if bought cheap...going to be interesting to someone in Adelanto? Perhaps management is now conceding that it's only interested in OC revenue (and thus, audience)?

 

[romer979fm]

I never said that voicetracking was a bad thing. When did I say that voicetracking was bad? Please show me a post where I said that. Voicetracking ISN'T bad at all! It's what every station's doing to save money! DJs are a thing of the past in the iPod generation. That's what I've said in my past posts about DJs. And everyone knows KSWD is a disaster! Why is it wrong for me to say that it is???

okay...I stand corrected on the VT thing. The point I was (badly) trying to point out is that it's pretty easy to point out
what's perceived as wrong from the sidelines.

 

[romer979fm]

However, in order to achieve maximum ratings, the owners must simulcast (in this case, trimulcast) 100% of the time. Which means an ad sold for a small retailer in Orange County or Ventura County will air on all three signals. Is a spot for a jewely store in Fountain Valley going to convince someone in Camarillo to dive 100 miles? Or a spot for a Thousand Oaks car dealer...even if bought cheap...going to be interesting to someone in Adelanto? Perhaps management is now conceding that it's only interested in OC revenue (and thus, audience)?

with automation from this century, it's not too difficult to run different spots on each local station: much like not running the local spots
on the webstream.

 

[Shoot From Hip]

I know what technology is available. My point is that they can't aggregate the invididual ratings of the three stations if they run different commercials on each stick, because then it's not a trimulcast. To this point, they've run the trimulcast to show all three stations as one Arbitron number.

 

[davideduardo]

However, in order to achieve maximum ratings, the owners must simulcast (in this case, trimulcast) 100% of the time. Perhaps management is now conceding that it's only interested in OC revenue (and thus, audience)?

The Thousand Oaks station likely contributes very little to the total LA ratings, as it's directional coverage puts most of the signal in Ventura County. The Victor Valley station contributes nothing as it has no signal in LA county... not even the eastern end of the Palmdale / Lancaster area.

The Thousand Oaks signal puts a useable signal over less than 90,000 LA County residents... the OC station cover 1.6 million and change. There is no reason not to nuke the SLR and go with centralized programming and local commercial sets.

It would make sense to split the commercial feeds, and eliminate single line reporting. Local sales, the only thing you can get with a 0.2 (or a 0.4 or 0.5) is not ratings based, and any improved programming will increase the OC station anyway.

 

[RBB05]

Bobv does not have to "win." He just has to offer an AC, with the right demos, that serves the Orange County retail market... which can't afford KBIG or The Coast. If he does that, he will have a decent direct selling situation, which is actually desirable in this economic recession.


Depends what a "win" is. There is a station win and a Bobv win and they are not neccissarily the same thing.

 

[SuperRadioFan]

So his sales people have to sell the station to retailers. Tough market now, tell the retailers that people in Orange County will be tuning in to 92.7. So they will ask, what are JILL-FM's ratings? Better have an intelligent answer to that question. Good luck with that.

JILL-FM sales person: "Yes but it's the "all totally new JILL-FM!!!!" 8)